Ok, I’ll admit: I wrote this blog with a view to it going up before Fashion Week. But somehow I never got round to finishing it. The past few days has been a blur of fittings, backstage filming and front of house FROW-ing. The funny thing is, everything looks at the finished product at fashion week – you rarely reeaaally see what goes on behind the scenes. So I guess this is my exposé: we did not wake up like this and you can sit with us. Here’s what it takes to get an Influencer to FROW.
Brows – I overplucked an outrageous amount when I was younger (I actually once tried to use nail clippers in lieu of tweezers. True story) and my brows have never thanked me for it. I did once go in for microblading a while back but it’s faded now and frankly I’m not going through that again. Benefit are in charge of my brows – I’m actually banned from touching them. We wax and tint once a month. Well. They do. I sit and drink champagne :).
Nails – I swear by gels during fashion week. My most recently gel-scapade was with Nails Inc, which I thought was particularly cool because they mix your gel in front of you, which means you can get a bespoke colour, or choose from any of their polish shades. I’d love to say that I took the opportunity to be wildly creative but I’m a creature of habit, and pillar box red is yet to fail me…
Laser hair – One of the greatest beauty hacks around, if not the most glamorous. My 6-weekly visits to Pulse Light save SO much time I can’t even describe. My legs are legit ready for skirt season all year round..
Lashes – I have naturally long lashes (yay), so if I wear extensions it’s super obvious. But equally, the whole rigmarole of removing a load of mascara really ruins my vibe at the end of a long day. This season, I’m compromising with LVL lashes. The team at Blush & Blow essentially permed and tinted them, so now they look kind of perfect (I think). Hashtag I woke up like this.
Hair – my hair is too thick and unruly to actually do it myself. And on the rare occasions that I’ve tried, I’ve always ended up literally scaring myself. Not even kidding – I have perfectly spherical, tong-sized marks on my left arm and leg. Jack at Neville is on my speed dial. And I’m not just saying that as some wanky journo phrase. He genuinely is. I’m not sure how happy that makes him though…!
Skin – Before a big event, I always book an hour with Clare Peters at the JOSHI clinic. She has all sorts of magical ways to stimulate collagen production and generally make me look healthier. I’ve also been trying out vitamin infusions – Bianca Estelle has pumped me full of vitamin B12 which apparently will boost my energy levels. Yay.<
Massage – ok I realise it’s traditionally more a reward treatment than something considered crucial prep, but when I first starting training at Duo Chelsea my trainer told prescribed me weekly sports massages to try and rescue my bad posture. You’d be amazed the difference a standing appointment at the Aveda Institut makes in photos..
Clothes – I had a mini melt-down last week because I ran out of wardrobe space and was trying to select which bits to give to charity. Once I’d got a bit of perspective back in my life and sorted my sh*t out, I managed to edit the rails of clothes into what I actually wanted to wear, what I had to wear (sponsored posts. Anyone who denies these is lying), and what could be returned immediately.
Hotel – Arguably the most crucial element to LFW prep is getting a central base close to all the key shows for outfit changes and the occasional nap. Finding one that’s roomy enough to fit me and my entourage of baggage is tough – this season I’m at The Marylebone.
31 invites, 6 hours of beauty treatments, 14 pairs of shoes, 5 rails of clothes, 10 cars booked, 1 pap tipped off. It’s time.
